Prevention vs. treatment: What's the right balance?

摘要

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (Benjamin Franklin, 1747) It is more praiseworthy to save a life than preserve health. (Benjamin Freedman, 1977) Despite a widespread belief that reallocating funds and attention from treatment to prevention would save health care dollars and the argument that a rational utility-maximising social planner would privilege (or at least not penalise) prevention, the US health care system seems to emphasise treatment over prevention in insurance policies, resource allocation and clinical encounters. Why can't prevention get no respect? This volume is a collection of essays by economists, ethicists, religious scholars, lawyers and clinicians aiming to answer this question, and the broader question of what the right balance ought to be between prevention and treatment.